Truth Time! Do You Wash Your Hands After Using a Restroom?

Truth Time! Do You Wash Your Hands After Using a Restroom?

Most people say yes, but some of them are lying.

-Jane Farrell

Although nearly 100 percent of adults claim that they wash their hands after using a public toilet, an on-the-spot survey shows that many people aren’t quite telling the truth.

On the positive side, the percentage of adults who do wash their hands is at its highest since researchers began their surveying in 1996, according to USA Today. That conclusion comes from an “observational” survey, sponsored by the American Society for Microbiology and the American Cleaning Institute (a group of soap and detergent manufacturers). Researchers found that 77 percent of men scrubbed, while for women the figure was 93 percent.

USA Today reported that the observational survey was conducted last month at six public places in four cities: Atlanta (Turner Field), Chicago (Museum of Science and Industry, Shedd Aquarium), New York (Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station) and San Francisco (Ferry Terminal Farmers Market). Just over 6,000 restroom goers at those sites were “discreetly” observed to see if they washed their hands.

But when the researchers did a telephone poll around the same time, 96 percent of all respondents said they washed their hands. (Kudos to the remaining honest-but-yucky 4 percent.)

Talking about the observational survey researcher Judy Daly, director of clinical microbiology at Children’s Primary Medical Center in Salt Lake City, said: “We are really happy to see these results. Our first observational study in 1996 found only 68% overall washing up in public restrooms, and that declined to an all-time low of 67% when we repeated the study in 2000. We hope that …behavior really is changing.” (USA Today)